We Are Friends
by Bandbabe
Summary: "Any friend of Adam is welcome here," Mr. Torres declared, oblivious to the mounting tension between his wife and sons in the next room. - Fiona/Adam fic!


"We Are Friends"

Summary: "Any friend of Adam is welcome here," Mr. Torres declared, oblivious to the mounting tension between his wife and sons in the next room. (Fidam Fic!)

Author's Note: Takes places about a month after "All Falls Down". Adam's mom is weary of his budding "friendship" with Fiona Coyne.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi!

* * *

-oOo-

Adam Torres leaned back and rested his head on the living room couch. He looked over to his partner in crime with a relaxed, lopsided grin. He couldn't remember the last time he did this – it had to be elementary school. He felt at peace at sitting in the living room drawing zoo animals with a girl he liked a lot.

Fiona Coyne held up her rudimentary drawing with pride. "Done, this is a regular Picasso!" she beamed at Adam. She was sitting close to him, with her body angled so she could study his face while he looked at the drawing. After a moment he shot her a questioning look.

"What animal is this supposed to resemble?"

They both laughed. She playfully pushed his shoulder, "Come on! It's obviously a hippopotamus. I think it's more realistic than you panda drawing."

Adam nudged her back. "Now you're going too far," he grinned. He reached over her for his drawing. "I'm going to have to take this back!"

"Hey, that's mine! You gave it to me fair and square," she protested while holding on to Adams arms. They locked eyes and neither could keep a straight face. They both erupted into laughter.

"Guys I'm home!" Mrs. Torres called as she made her way through the front door with groceries. She had three bags, one which contained much of tonight's dinner. It was difficult keeping up with enough food having two teenage boys at home. She allowed herself a brief moment of sadness at acknowledging she had_ two_ boys before pushing it away.

Walking into the living room she heard laughter. She was about to call out to Drew and Adam again when she stopped in her tracks.

One moment they were laughing. The next Adam let go her arms and moved away from her. It was so sudden Fiona was momentarily confused. Then she also noticed Mrs. Torres.

"Hi Mom. This is my friend Fiona Coyne," she heard Adam say. "I introduced her last week," he added.

Adam glanced at her quickly. She had been over briefly last Saturday. They had plans for lunch at the Dot with Eli and Clare. Her morning was free so she decided to hang out with Adam. Their meeting was rather cold, as Mrs. Torres didn't seem happy to meet her.

"Hello Fiona," Mrs. Torres said in a measured tone. "Adam, can you help me with the groceries?" It was more of a demand than a request.

"Sure. Fiona, I'll be right back," he said as he followed his Mom to the kitchen with two bags.

-oOo-

"Leave that one out, Adam. We having Pasta with Chorizo tonight," Mrs. Torres told him. Adam nodded. He was simply waiting for it. They spent the last five minutes unpacking in silence. He could feel the tension building.

"So how long has Fiona been here?" she asked in a clipped tone.

Adam sighed. "An hour and half."

"How come Drew wasn't watching you?"

"Mom! We're both in high school! I don't need to a babysitter. Fiona and I were just hanging out," Adam said exasperated.

"It's inappropriate Adam. I'm not blind," she countered.

Drew sighed as he entered the kitchen. He had taken his time before joining them. From his chat with Fiona in the other room, he suspected something was up. His mother usually made a mountain out of a molehill.

"Drew," Adam greeted him with relief. They shared a look before turning back to their Mom.

"Hey Mom," Drew smiled. "What's for dinner? Are we having Chorizo?"

Mrs. Torres genuinely smiled. Her son had a talent for deflection, but hearing that Drew was looking forward to his favorite dish lightened her spirits. "Indeed._ Macaroni en salsa de Tomate con Chorizo_."

"Great!" He gave her a hug.

As they pulled away she asked, "How come you weren't here with your brother?"

Drew groaned. "Seriously, Mom?" he frowned. "Fi and Adam are just friends. She's really nice, you should give her a chance."

Adam tensed at hearing Drew address the unspoken issue their Mom had with Fiona.

-oOo-

Fiona looked down at Adam's drawing. He was joking earlier, but it didn't make it less true – his was more accurate. Even with a pink nose and blue fur. She smiled.

Suddenly she heard a beep.

She reached into her bag for her phone. It was a text from Declan, '_Are you enjoying a fine 5 star meal_?' She flipped her cell over to check the time. It certainly was dinner time. She glanced at the kitchen, also known as the vortex that Torres brothers disappeared into. Twenty minutes ago Adam told her he'd be right back. As she debated going in there to say goodbye she heard the front door open.

Moments later a tall man with dark hair entered the living room. He paused when he noticed Fiona standing near the tv. "Hello. I'm Mr. Torres."

"Hi. I'm Fiona Coyne," she said shyly. "I'm a friend of Adam's."

Mr. Torres raised his eyebrows briefly in surprise. "Any friend of Adam is welcome here," Mr. Torres declared, oblivious to the mounting tension between his wife and sons in the next room. "It's getting late. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose," she said politely.

He shook his head. "We'd be honored. I'll go check on the kitchen situation."

Fiona smiled as she watched him go. Mr. Torres was easy-going and friendly. It would be rude to leave now. Perhaps dinner wouldn't be so bad.

"_Hola mi familia_!" Mr. Torres said upon entering the kitchen. He gave his wife a quick peck. "It appears we have guest. We'll need to set the table for five."

"You invited her to dinner?" Mrs. Torres said. "Did you think to check if we have enough food for extra people?"

"Boys, why don't you set the table?" Adam and Drew nodded and quickly exited.

"Audra, how often does Gracie have friends over?" He wrapped his arms around his wife. "This is a good thing. The boys have been doing well at school. Let's have an enjoyable dinner."

Mrs. Torres nodded. "You're right, Omar. It's just… hard."

"When is parenthood ever easy?"

-oOo-

"Amen!" The Torres family completed prayer and started placing food on their plates. Fiona looked on curiously.

"Want some bread?" Drew asked her.

"Sure, thanks," she took a roll before passing the basket to Adam. Her hand grazed his and they both felt a jolt.

"Fiona, I hope we didn't intrude on your dinner plans," Mrs. Torres said.

Adam and Drew shared a look. "No, not at all Mrs. Torres. This is much better than takeout," she smiled.

"Thank you. Were your parents alright with you staying for dinner?" Mrs. Torres inquired while adding salad to her plate.

"My family is based in New York. We have a condo downtown. My mom flies in a lot," Fiona said.

"I'm sorry to hear that! Does that mean you live alone?" Mrs. Torres questioned.

"Mom!" Adam said in a warning tone.

Fiona turned to Adam. "No, Adam it's alright. We stayed here in Toronto last year. I decided Degrassi was a better fit."

"I'm glad it worked out for you Fiona," Mr. Torres told her.

"Me too," Adam added with a bright smile. Fiona smiled back.

"18 is young, but legal to stay on your own," Mrs. Torres added. Adam inwardly groaned.

"My brother and I attended many boarding schools over the years, so it hasn't been a big adjustment," Fiona explained. "Though, I'm actually 17. My birthday is in a few months."

Drew smiled at Adam. He thought her answer was a good comeback.

"I see. Well, you seem quite mature for your age," Mrs. Torres conceded. Then she continued, "Adam's 16th birthday isn't until next month."

Adam did his best to hide a frown and Drew faked a cough.

Fiona took a sip of water. "I didn't know that." She turned to Adam with a bright smile, "Were you trying to hide the fact that you're a Pisces?"

"And with that, we conclude the Spanish Inquisition," Drew quipped. Both parents frowned at him. "What?"

-oOo-

"Hope tonight wasn't too weird," Adam told Fiona. The two of them were alone on his porch, waiting for Fiona's driver to arrive. "I'm sorry about my Mom."

"Adam, dinner was lovely," Fiona stated. She lightly bumped her shoulder to his, causing him to look up. "Hey, none of that," she said at his melancholy demeanor.

He smiled and brought his eyes to her's. "I am happy you stayed."

"Ditto." She leaned close to him and softly kissed his cheek. Adam felt his face grow red as she pulled away. "See you tomorrow," she said and walked towards the car that just pulled up. Adam waved and watched her go.

He walked back inside and lean against the door. '_We are friends. We are friends. We are friends_,' he repeated to himself. He idly wondered how many time would he have to say that to believe it?

-oOo-

"Don't you think you should come away from the window?" Omar Torres asked his wife. The first few times she walked by inconspicuously. Now she was practically camped out at the bedroom window spying on the two teens below.

"Fine," she said with a smile and sat next to him at the foot of the bed.

"Adam's back inside now, isn't he?" he asked, not taking the bait.

Mrs. Torres started to defend her actions, but thought better of it upon seeing her husband's amused look. After a moment she broke her silence.

"That girl is all wrong for him. She's older, lives alone, and looks like she stepped out of a fashion magazine," Mrs. Torres stated. "I don't trust her."

"She seems nice enough. I think you're rationalizing why you dislike her," Mr. Torres countered.

"Is this the type of person you pictured Gracie with?" Mrs. Torres asked. It was there, out in the open. The real reason she asked so many pointed questions at dinner.

"I support whoever makes _Adam_ happy, Audra," he responded.

Mrs. Torres looked down for moment. "I just thought after everything that happened at school, we wouldn't be dealing with this. Not for a few years."

Her husband laughed. "If dating is our biggest concern for Adam then we've come a long way."

[FIN]

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Author's Note #2: Please review :)

Author's Note #3: My scene breaks disappeared! Just added them back in.

Author's Note #4: Fixed some grammatical errors. Also want to add that Mr. Torres calling Adam "Gracie" in his earlier conversation with his wife is intentional. Wanted to show that both of Adam's parents are still coming to terms with his gender identity. Special thanks to everyone who has reviewed :D


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